Apparatus for raising the tone-arms of sound-reproducing devices



H. K. SANDELL. APPARATUS FOR RAISING THE TONE ARMS 0F SOUND REPRODUCI NG DEVICES'.

APPLICATION I'ILED APR. 2, |919.

Patented Feb. 1T, 1920.

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HENRY K. sANDELI., or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNoR To HERBERT s. MILLS, or

' v CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PP-ARATUS FOR RAIS'ING THE 'IOII'IEl-ARIIVIS OF SOUND-REPRODUCING DEVICES.

Specification of Letters Patent. l Ptented Feb. 17, 19270.

Application led April 2, 1919. Serial No. 286,825.

'To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY K. SANDELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Raising .the Tone-Arms of Sound-Reproducing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for raising the tone arm of a phonograph or sound Vreproducing device, and more particularly to a device which operates automatically to raise such a tone arm when the latter reaches a determined point in its` movement.

1F or the purpose of illustratingvmy inven-` tion and of fully and clearly describing same, I have illustrated an embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, wherein my invention is shown as applied to a horizontally floating tone arm of a sound .reproducing device, said tone arm being capable of a vertical pivotal movement upon Its support. The tone arm as illustrated 1s of the type more fully described in my prior application, Serial No. 246,447, liled July A24th, 1918. In the drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tone arm illustrating the relative arrangement of the tone arm and the parts of the lifting device just prior to the operation of the latter.

Y Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the tone arm, illustrating the relative position of the tone arm and the lifting device after the latter has been caused to operate. Fig. 3 is a section through the pivotal portion of the tone arm su port, the tone arm proper being removed rom the portion of the support to which it is connected' in normal use of the device.

In the device as illustrated 5 represents the supporting table ofa sound reproducing device, or phonograph, from which rises a hollow base member or support 6, through which the sound conduit asses. Upon this base member is rotatab y mounted a conduit member 7 which terminates in a head 8. Upon head 8 is mounted for a limited rotative movement relative thereto a socket 9,'

which is likewise extended in a conduit member v10, on which the tone arm 11 isl mounted, said tone arm 11 preferably having a rotative movement of 90 with relation to the conduit 10 and their common axis. rIhis tone arm 11 carries, as illustrated, a

sound box 12 and a suitable stylus holder 13 at litsfarther end. The conduit member 7 is so mounted on the. base or support 6 that the entire tone arm may move freely in the hori zontal direction. The head and socket members 8 and' 9 together form a conduit joint which permits the tone arm 11 to be raised and lowered in the vertical direction at will. As regards the relative movements ofv members 8 and 9, the head 8 is fixed and the socket 9 rotatable on their common axis.

As illustratedin the present embodiment of my invention I may provide a relatively fixed arm 14 and an independently movable lever member 15, the latter being provided with means such as the elongated pin 16 for engaging the tone arm. I prefer to attach these elements to the conduit joint in such manner that they partake of the rotative movement of the conduit in the horizontal plane and retain their positions relative to the tone arm during such movement. In the resent embodiment of my invention I have Illustrated the fixed arm 14 as rigidly secured to the head member 8 of the conduit joint, being firmly' held thereagainst by the shoulder or hub portion 17 of the screw 18,

a suitable washer 19, likewise rigidly secured to the head member 8, being interposed between the fixed plate member 14 and the head8. The lever 15 is independently rotatable on the-hub portion 17 of the screw 18.

The outwardly extending portion of the arm 14 is offset to provide a space between it and the lever 15 in which the means for effecting the lifting movement of the lever `15 at the desired moment may be placed.

As illustrated, this means may, consist of an expanding U-shaped spring 20, the ends of which terminate in eyes or loops by which the spring is attached to pins, 21 and 22 on Y arm 14 and .lever 15 respectively. To limit its movement relative to the fixed arm .14, the lever 15 is provided with transversely extending lugs 23 and 24, which are adapted to engage the member 14 and thereby limit the movement of the lever 15 lrelative thereto.

In normal playing position, the tone arm 11 moves .freely in a horizontal direction about the pivotal aXis of the 'conduit members 8 and 9, being supported by the stylus which rests upon the record 25. The normal position of elements 14 and l5, when the tone arm is in playing position is, as illustached to the supporting member 6, this arcutrated in Fig. 1f, with the pins 21 and 22,

of rmy invention, it is clearly apparent that to which the 'ends of the U-shaped spring I-am not limited to the specific construction 65 2Q are attached, in such relative osition with'each other and with the plvota center of the lever 15- that the pin 22 on the lever `15 is on or lbelow the line joining the in 21 and the pivotal center of the lever.

n this position the ends of the spring 2O are compressed together and the force or thrust exerted in its effort to expand is not productive of any relative movement of'the two elements 14 and 15. Itis apparent, however, that if -by a suitable means the lever 15 were y'brought into such a relative position that the pin 22 werey raised above the line joining the pin 21 and the pivotal center of the lever, theforce or thrust of the s rin tendin to expand 'would tend to P g g raise the leve\r 15. In its' upward movement the lever 15 will, by means of pin- 16, engage with the tone arm andraise the tone arm.

also. Furthermore, onthen moving the lever 15 downward to such position that the pin 22 is again in line with or below the line joining the pivotal center and the pin 21 on arm- 141, the lug 23 limiting the downward movement of the lever 15, the parts will again lock themselves in the position shown in Fig. 1.

To effect the initial upward land downward movement of the lever 15 at the predetermined points in the travel of the tone arm, the lever 15is provided with a downwardly extending lug or finger 26, whlch travels along an arcuate segment 27 atate segment 27 being provided at predetermined points with projectm lugs or pms 28 and 29. The position o these pins is 'such that when the tone arm' 11 reaches a predetermined point in its movement toward the center of the record 25, the finger 26 on lever 15 engages pin 2.8 and the lever is accordingly slightly raised thereby; and the posltion of pin 29 1s suon that `when tone arm 11 is moved outwardly from the center of the record to a redetermined point, the finger 26 is engage thereby 'and the lever 15 moved downwardly. The latter downward movement of the lever is assisted by the downward movement of the tone arm in placing the stylus attached thereto in playis apparent from the above construction that', although the spring used has suicient ing positionon the record.

v lexpansive force to raise the lever 15 and with it the entire tone arm 11, the force required to initiate the movement of the lever and to bring' it into a position wherein the full force of the, spring may act is very sli ht.

llthough I have illustrated an'ddescribed in the present specification one embodiment k thrust on the described therein, except in so far as such limitations are included in the accompanying claims:A

1. I n combination, a movable tone arm, a horizontal pivotal support therefor, an arm mounted on said support and .xed against vertical movement, a vertically movable arm mounted on the support and provided with means adapted to engage the tone arm, a contracted U-shaped spring engaging the fixed and movable arms and normally exerting its force to retain the movable arm out a relatively fixed arm attached to said support, an expanding spring normally engaging the fixed and movable arms in such manner that the latter does not engage the tone arm, and means oplerative 'at a predetermined point in the orizontal rmovement of the tone arm to bring the'movable arm into a position such that the springl forces the movable arm upward to engagev andraise thel'tone arm., y(

3. .In combination with a horizontally movable tone arm, an upwardly movable member adapted to engage and raise the tone arm, 4a relatively .fixed support, a spring mounted on said support and-said movable member and exert' an expansive force on the latter, the lattelileing normally retained in its lowermost position, and means opera- Y, tive when the tone arm reaches a determined position to 'bring the movable member into such position as to' cause the spring to raise it and the tone arm. l

4. In means adapted to raise a horizontally movable tone arm, a fixed sup ort, a pivoted arm provided with means.; or engaging and lifting the tone arm, a spring mounted on said vsulpport and exerting a ivot below the line joining the point of support ofthe spring and the pivot of the arm, and means operative at a determined oint in. the movement of said arm to raise t e point of thrust of the spring above said line; whereupon the thrust of the spring is exerted to raise said arm and thereby to en gage and raise the ,tone arm.

HENRY K. vSANDELL.

arm |at a .point on or 

